A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1314: Release Luzon
The emperor watched the prince leave with red eyes.

A long sigh.

As a crown prince for seventeen years, he has done a good job in all the teaching and training he should have during these years.

The servants of the Shang Pharmacy came in.

"Your Majesty, this sore needs to be cut open and the pus taken out."

The emperor's carbuncle was actually not as serious as he told the prince, and it was not to the point where he would die without any cure.

The emperor caught a cold and his rheumatism recurred. In addition, he suddenly developed a sore on his back and was unable to get out of bed, but his condition was not yet critical.

Li Shimin summoned Liu Li just to ask about some of the circumstances during the period when the crown prince was regent in Dingzhou.

It was Chu Suiliang's report that made the emperor plan to take this opportunity to do something and do some things that were going to be done later in advance.

The Eastern Expedition returned victoriously,

Li Shimin planned to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai next year, and then continue his personal expedition to Liaodong, aiming to capture Pyongyang in one fell swoop.

However, due to Zuo Nandang's death, the vacant position of Wugu Governor caused undercurrents.

The emperor watched them fight openly and secretly with cold eyes.

Although his sudden illness was not yet critical, it did make the emperor think a lot.

Although he was less than fifty, his health was not very good. He had suffered many injuries in his early years of fighting in the east and the west. After ascending the throne, he worked day and night to handle government affairs. In addition, the elixirs he took in his early years also hurt his health.

Every year is getting worse than the last.

This illness came on like a mountain, forcing him to start considering some issues.

Cheng Qian is a good prince, but he is still a little young after all.

When Wu Huaiyu heard the news that Li Ji was reported for treason and the emperor demoted him to the governor of Diezhou, he sat there in silence for a long time.

it's dark,
Wu Huaiyu was also hungry.

He asked someone to fetch a leg of mutton, cut it into thin slices, and ate the mutton slices in hot pot.

Although his teacher Li Jing, adoptive father Qin Qiong, elder brother Huaiyi, and old friend Cheng Jin were all in Youzhou City, Wu Huaiyu was cooking alone today.

A little lonely.

Copper hot pot already existed when Cao Pi became emperor during the Three Kingdoms period.

Add charcoal to the copper pot, add sheep bones and some onion and ginger to make the soup base.

Mix a dipping sauce.

Use long chopsticks to pick up large thin slices of mutton and blanch them in a boiling pot for two minutes. When the slices turn gray, take them out and dip them in seasoning.

It is mellow, not smelly, fresh and delicious.

Wu Huaiyu slowly ate the copper pot dishes one by one, and it took him more than half an hour to finish the meal.

Finally, add some cabbage, vermicelli and tofu and eat until your belly is full.

Take a walk after meals to digest food.

Wu Huaiyu also figured it out.

He saw that the emperor was ill from the fact that Li Ji was demoted to the governor of Diezhou, but considering the history, the emperor was not yet critically ill, so his current actions were
It can be regarded as taking advantage of the topic.

Li Ji's demotion was not a real demotion.
But Liu Li and Zhang Liang were really killed.

Why Liu Li was killed was probably due to his background. He was not originally from Guanlong and followed Xiao Xing in his early years. Although he rose rapidly to become the prime minister, he previously supported Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, and later turned to Wu Huaiyu.
Then there are some scattered news reports now, and it cannot be said that Liu Li’s murder was completely unjust.

In the eyes of the emperor, Liu Li might be a person who was wavering and opportunistic, so even if Chu Suiliang falsely accused Liu Li, the emperor still used this as an opportunity to kill Liu Li.

Kill Liu Li,
It was also a warning to others, especially to warn Wu Huaiyu.

As for why Zhang Liang was killed,
That's understandable.

This man has always been the head of the emperor's secret spy agency. From the Wude period to now, over the past twenty years, how many shady things has he done for the emperor?
Although he was very loyal to the emperor,
When the emperor was alive, he was naturally confident in Zhang Liang. After all, the emperor could control him. But Li Shimin was worried that after he was gone, Cheng Qian would not be able to control him, especially since Zhang Liang's behavior was not something the emperor could trust.

Just take this opportunity to send Zhang Liang away first.

Zhang Liang was also a fence-sitter. Not only did he marry a woman from the Li family of Zhaojun, one of the Five Surnames, but he also made friends with several major forces in the court. This was something Li Shimin did not want to see.

A dog should be loyal to only one master. How can it wag its tail to everyone?

"General."

"Your Majesty has ordered,"

An eunuch came and interrupted Wu Huaiyu's thoughts.

The emperor ordered that Wu Huaiyu be appointed as the Luzon Observation Envoy, to inspect Luzon on behalf of the emperor to observe the customs and habits, and was relieved of his titles of Shangshu You Pushe and Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.

The titles of Duke of Chu, Grand Marshal, etc. remain the same.

Wu Huaiyu took the edict and found that it had not passed through the Political Affairs Hall or the Secretariat, so it was an edict from the Tao.

If it doesn't go through the Secretariat, how can it be called an imperial edict?
The imperial edict was illegal, but the current emperor was not an ordinary emperor, and Li Shimin's words were still effective.

Wu Huaiyu accepted the order very happily.
The eunuch had been secretly observing Wu Huaiyu's reaction. This was a task assigned to him by the emperor. He had to write down the commander's reaction and report it truthfully.

In the palace,
After listening to the detailed report from Xiao Huangmen, Li Shimin was speechless for a long time.

a long time,

The emperor then asked another eunuch, "Where are Xiao Yu and Li Ji?"

"Mr. Xiao left Youzhou in the afternoon and went to Shangzhou to take up his post as the governor."

"After receiving the imperial edict, Lord Li immediately went to Diezhou, Longyou to take up his post."

"Call Huaiyu."

It's getting late,

Wu Huaiyu held the volume of Records of the Grand Historian, but could not concentrate on reading it.

He didn't sleep either, as he had a feeling the emperor would summon him.

really,

The eunuch who had come to announce the imperial edict came again, and the emperor summoned him to an audience.

When Wu Huaiyu entered the palace and saw the emperor, Li Shimin looked a little shocking. There were many sores on his back. One large sore was already red, swollen and ulcerated, and several small sores were also swollen and red.

"Huaiyu is here, no need to be polite, please sit down."

Li Shimin lay there, smiling bitterly at him, "It's surprising, right? I didn't expect it to be like this all of a sudden." "Your Majesty, let me treat you."

"No hurry, let's talk about business first. I know there have been so many changes today, and there must be a lot of speculation outside."

"Do you know why Xiao Yu was demoted?"

Wu Huaiyu shook his head.

"Xiao Yu falsely accused Zhangsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and others of forming a clique to rebel, but he could not produce any evidence. I reprimanded him a few times, and he asked to become a monk. I agreed, but he went back on his word. You said he was seventy years old, and he was still the prime minister, but he was so narrow-minded and intolerant.

He is really old and confused, how can I keep him in the court?"

Today, the emperor dismissed Xiao Yu from his position as prime minister, demoted him to the position of governor of Shangzhou, and also took away his duke title from his country.

He was also merciless to his father-in-law.

After hearing this, Wu Huaiyu couldn't help but feel that Xiao Yu was quite capable. You just gave advice and you dared to report the other two prime ministers for forming a clique and treason without any evidence. This was courting death.

The emperor refused to listen, so he threatened to become a monk. Eventually, the emperor agreed to let him become a monk, but he changed his mind again.

"Do you know why Zhang Liang was executed?" the emperor asked again.

"I heard that Zhang Liang was trying to rebel."

"Well, Zhang Liang not only plotted treason, but he also falsely accused you, Wu Huaiyu, of forming a clique to plot treason."

Wu Huaiyu was speechless.

The emperor really doesn't treat Zhang Liang as a human being. Not only did he kill him with a knife, but now he is pushing everything onto Zhang Liang's shoulders.

Did Zhang Liang dare to falsely accuse him of forming a clique for treason?

Saying that Xiao Yu falsely accused Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang of forming a party to rebel against Taksin, that was a big shot who dared to say anything. But Zhang Liang had suffered more than once from Wu Huaiyu, so he didn't dare.

"Li Ji also accused you of treason." the emperor said again.

Wu Huaiyu despised the emperor's tactics of sowing discord in his heart, but he still looked very surprised.

"I believe in you. You will never betray me, and you will never betray Cheng Qian in the future."

"I executed Zhang Liang, but Li Ji was only deceived by Zhang Liang. Considering Li Ji's merits in conquering the Liao Dynasty, I will dismiss him from his post as prime minister and demote him to the governor of Diezhou to give him a chance to reflect on himself."

The emperor sighed.

"You have been asking me to resign for the past few years, but I have never let you go. Now that I am almost dying, after much thought, I decided to let you go. You have always said that you wanted to go to Luzon to see the sea, right? I will grant you your wish."

"I really can't bear to let you go, but I also know that many people are jealous of you. They have been impeaching and reporting you all these years. I am worried that you will not have a good ending after I am gone."

The emperor seemed to be speaking from the heart.

But Wu Huaiyu didn't believe it.

But he could understand the emperor's thoughts.

After all, the emperor was worried about him and was afraid that Cheng Qian would not be able to control him in the future.

"I have always wanted to return to Luzon to retire to my hometown and recuperate. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help."

"Xiao Yu said that Wu Ji and Chu Suiliang and others formed a clique for personal gain and intended to rebel. What do you think about this?" asked the emperor.

"I believe that the king's uncle is not that kind of person. How can others believe him without any evidence?"

"You can go back to Luzon and recuperate. When Cheng Qian succeeds to the throne, if any traitors dare to have second thoughts, you will have to come out and assist Cheng Qian."

This meeting lasted for about an hour.

Wu Huaiyu walked out of the palace, let out a long sigh, and felt relieved.

The emperor finally agreed to let him go.

Now he is increasingly unwilling to stay in the court, and both he and the emperor are uncomfortable.

He had just secretly observed the emperor's carbuncle, and the situation did not seem too serious, far from being life-threatening.

The emperor had not hidden anything from him. Although he did not allow him to diagnose and treat the wound, he did not hide it either. It was probably because he intended to let him see it.

The emperor did not allow him to diagnose or prescribe medicine.
But after Wu Huaiyu returned, he still wrote a memorial, which was both a farewell to the emperor and a prescription for the emperor's symptoms.

"Take Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin internally, and for external use, use Ru Yi Jin Huang San for the initial stage of carbuncle. For external treatment of skin pus, incision and drainage should be performed, and then use Er Bao Dan to extract pus and remove rot. When the pus is gone, use Sheng Ji San..."

Wu Huaiyu left behind a treatment plan and also left behind several medicines used in the prescription.

In addition, he prescribed medicines for the emperor's cold and recurring rheumatism.

the next morning,

Wu Huaiyu set off south without any hesitation, because the emperor had instructed him yesterday to take his wives, concubines and children to Luzon, so he had to return to Chang'an first.

Except for married children, all other children will be taken to Luzon.

Wu Huaiyu's situation does not count as a demotion.

It can be considered as semi-retired.

He was dismissed from his post as Zuo Pushe, and his title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi was no longer retained.
But he was still the Grand Marshal, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Shangzhuguo, Duke of Chu, with a fief of three thousand households, and the Grand Secretary of Chongxian and Hongwen Academy.

He got the title of Luzon Observer and went to Luzon to retire.

It can be regarded as being kicked out of the central court.

When Changsun Wuji heard the news, he could not help but feel delighted. This time, the court was shaken. Prime Minister Liu Li and Zhang Liang were killed, Xiao Yu and Yang Shidao were demoted.
Then Li Ji and Wu Huaiyu were demoted from the central government.

There are only a few prime ministers left in this court.
The left servant Fang Xuanling, the Zhongshu Ling Ma Zhou, the Jiancha Shizhong Changsun Wuji, then the participant in government affairs Chu Suiliang, and the third-rank official Gao Shilian of the Zhongshu Menxia, ​​and the remaining five prime ministers.

There are three people on Changsun Wuji's side.

If he could get rid of Fang Xuanling and Ma Zhou as well, he would have all the power in his hands.

While feeling proud,

The eunuch came forward to announce the decree.

The emperor dismissed Zhangsun Wuji from his post as Inspector of the Imperial Secretariat and appointed him as the Observer of Customs in Huainan Province. He immediately went to Yangzhou to inspect the prefectures and counties in Huainan and observe the customs and habits.

Zhang Sun Wuji was stunned where he was.

"Duke Zhao, please accept the order." The eunuch reminded.

Changsun Wuji took the imperial edict and his face was as gloomy as water.

(End of this chapter)